President Trump - Page 168 - Politics version 7.0 -- Two Plus Two Poker Forums

One of the more insightful observations about the (current) North Korean people is that those who leave the country often voluntarily go back. Many of them can never shake the view of the world indoctrinated into them in which North Korea is a righteous haven in an evil world. Mass thought control is a hell of a thing.

NK is not simply a large group of otherwise viable people huddling in terror from an evil dictator. There are masses of completely brainwashed people there. Cults are prone to mass suicide, especially when their founding delusions are threatened. Nazi Germany, definitely a fascist cult analog, didn't give up until Russian tanks were rolling into Berlin.

Well I would go back too if they were threatening to kill my relatives that were still in NK, wouldn't you? In any case that is a very small percentage of the thousands that escape into China and beyond every year. Doubtless there is some brainwashed % of the masses, but comparing the entire population to a suicide cult seems a bit hysterical. Every population has its share of morons: Russians who still celebrate Stalin, 9/11 Truthers, German Holocaust deniers, etc.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BroadwaySushy

One thing is for sure. Something has to be done about NK and sooner rather than latter. China doesn't seem to want to do anything.

Yea, China hasn't fully realized that their puppet isn't really a puppet anymore.

04-03-2017 , 10:20 PM

#4178

campfirewest

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Quote:

Originally Posted by microbet

The .1% chance that they could nuke California is too much for me, but Trump in Washington D.C. or Florida might not care about any of these places that much.

A .1% chance that Trump crushes the electoral college and the popular vote in 2020 is a feature not a bug for his supporters.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trolly McTrollson

NK has enough conventional artillery to flatten Seoul.

That's the real issue. But if Trump wants to stop the Koreans from dominating the LPGA this might be a two birds one stone situation with an outside chance of locking up his second term all in the same day.

04-03-2017 , 10:22 PM

#4179

BroadwaySushy

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Quote:

Originally Posted by campfirewest

Lol. Good point.

04-04-2017 , 01:10 AM

#4180

Deuces McKracken

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Quote:

Originally Posted by BroadwaySushy

One thing is for sure. Something has to be done about NK and sooner rather than latter. China doesn't seem to want to do anything.

Why sooner rather than later? If the only thing to be done involves lots of innocent people dying then it should be done later rather than sooner, at a point where our hand is forced. I tend to agree with the theory that NK is on a one-way path toward credibly threatening us, but it is not certain.

04-04-2017 , 01:29 AM

#4181

BroadwaySushy

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I meant diplomatically of course. If the only option involves lots of people dying then that should absolutely be a last resort.

China needs to step up to the plate quick smart and take some responsibility.

Last edited by BroadwaySushy; 04-04-2017 at 01:37 AM.

04-04-2017 , 01:36 AM

#4182

Deuces McKracken

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Quote:

Originally Posted by EADGBE

Well I would go back too if they were threatening to kill my relatives that were still in NK, wouldn't you?

Going back wouldn't be voluntary in that case.

Quote:

In any case that is a very small percentage of the thousands that escape into China and beyond every year. Doubtless there is some brainwashed % of the masses, but comparing the entire population to a suicide cult seems a bit hysterical.

I don't know the percentages, but we should be rational in looking at it. We can't assume that because we think their government is full of **** that it is obvious to them. The situation there has clearly metastasized into a mass horror as a generation or two has been born into and grown up in the thought control and indoctrination. Could you imagine if the Nazis had two generations of completely super indoctrinated citizens? They practically committed national suicide after only a dalliance with Goebbels.

Think about how many people in this country believe in Angels. Why do they? Because the people who they depended on when they were young and vulnerable told them it was thus and so. If most of this supposed free thinking, exceptional country believe (and I mean actually believe) in Angels then why can't North Koreans believe the bull**** they are told? I'm sorry but the evidence suggests that what is going on there is more profound than just a cult of personality- it's a fascist cult complete with supernatural beliefs intertwined with militarism. Calling it a suicide cult might be a bit of a stretch, but what the hell else makes a fairer comparison?

04-04-2017 , 03:00 PM

#4183

goofyballer

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Quote:

Originally Posted by BroadwaySushy

I meant diplomatically of course. If the only option involves lots of people dying then that should absolutely be a last resort.

So when Trump says he's gonna do this **** by himself if he has to, what "diplomatic" options does that mean, exactly?

Looking up Trump's comments, btw, I found this other snippet from the interview:

Quote:

Asked how he would tackle North Korea, Trump said: “I’m not going to tell you. You know, I am not the United States of the past where we tell you where we are going to hit in the Middle East.”

LOL. I remember the last time he employed the "I can't tell you my secret plan" tactic, it was during the campaign when he had that secret plan to combat ISIS that didn't actually exist.

(there's also parallels w/ this quote and when he said "we couldn't announce the Muslim ban in advance because then all the bad dudes would come" and then Muslim ban 2.0 was announced like a week in advance lol)

04-04-2017 , 03:48 PM

#4184

BroadwaySushy

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Quote:

Originally Posted by goofyballer

So when Trump says he's gonna do this **** by himself if he has to, what "diplomatic" options does that mean, exactly?

I dunno man, maybe invite him to Mar-a-Lago for KFC or something.

04-04-2017 , 03:52 PM

#4185

74Offsuit

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04-04-2017 , 04:55 PM

#4186

13ball

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Quote:

Originally Posted by bahbahmickey

You do realize that some trump supporters don't believe health care is a right so people losing coverage in their eyes isn't that big of a deal, right? The argument that x number of people will lose coverage means it is a failure is an opinion - not a fact.

Why was every Republican complaining that Obamacare would cause people to lose their insurance in 2013/2014? Seems like they cared when they thought Obamacare would cost people their health care.

04-04-2017 , 10:21 PM

#4187

Deuces McKracken

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They were too smart to take a hammer to Obamacare. Oh how I wanted them to, but I strongly suspected they would not. I really think that would have been the quickest path to universal payer.

04-05-2017 , 02:06 PM

#4188

goofyballer

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Donald Trump has no idea how employment statistics work

Quote:

Originally Posted by Donald J. Trump

One of the statistics that to me is just ridiculous -- so the 4.6 sounds good, but when you look for a job, you can't find it and you give up -- you are now considered statistically employed. But I don’t consider those people employed.

No, you ****ing moron, that is not how it works.

04-05-2017 , 02:18 PM

#4189

goofyballer

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Quote:

Originally Posted by pokerodox

I read the article about the Illinois community pilar with two old DUI convictions. Interesting. Not sure where I come down on that. Prolly in his favor, because I think having citizen children should be a consideration. Prolly should even matter that they are very young children. Plus, not sure if DUI is a felony or misdemeanor. Also, no deportation yet.

Dunno if pdox is still reading this thread but he's almost definitely getting deported

04-05-2017 , 04:15 PM

#4190

pokerodox

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Thanks goofyballer. Still reading sometimes. Not as much time for it lately though.

04-05-2017 , 07:17 PM

#4191

pokerodox

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Are they (Washington Post) trying to hide his criminal record? I read the new article that you linked. I don't see any mention of that, though it mentions criminality and bad hombres, etc., I'd say, obscuring the facts in this particular case. I only remembered that he had two DUI convictions because of my comment that you quoted. WaPo bias is another issue though.

As I said, not sure where I come down on this particular case. If he had no criminal record (outside of ID fraud to obtain a job), I would def be in his favor in this case.

04-05-2017 , 11:25 PM

#4192

samsonh

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Yeah his policies will cause millions to lose health insurance and wealth inequalities will be worsened, but bahbah will be better off because millions of illegal immigrants will be deported and he is competing with them for jobs.

04-06-2017 , 12:56 PM

#4193

goofyballer

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Update: deported. Regarding this point:

Quote:

Originally Posted by pokerodox

This is my bad, I got my "good people getting deported" stories mixed up. The guy with two DUIs was a different person, so I shouldn't have quoted your original post. The guy in this story did not have a criminal record and it's fairly unclear why he's being deported at all. ICE cites this as the reason for his deportation:

Quote:

An ICE spokeswoman said Roberto Beristian was arrested because he didn’t leave the United States when ordered to do so by a judge in 2000, at which point his “voluntary departure order reverted to a final order of removal.”

lol, yeah, okay.

04-07-2017 , 05:52 PM

#4194

einbert

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https://twitter.com/BraddJaffy/statu...77469286920193

04-08-2017 , 01:16 AM

#4195

Deuces McKracken

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The story here is not that the democrats didn't get to install their stooge. It's that there is a sadistic psychopath on the SCOTUS.

04-08-2017 , 11:31 AM

#4196

juan valdez

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Deuces McKracken

The story here is not that the democrats didn't get to install their stooge. It's that there is a sadistic psychopath on the SCOTUS.

admittedly im no expert on the situation but my initial take on the situation is that grosuch is a respectable conservative that follows the law. it was just the toxic political environment and dysfunction between the left and right holding this up

the sadistic psychopath part sounds like the far left having another meltdown, but again i'm too deep in to the situation. it would be nice to hear a reasonable explanation

04-08-2017 , 02:52 PM

#4197

mongidig

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When I used to post here there used to be about 100 posts per day. Now you're lucky to get to get two.

04-08-2017 , 02:54 PM

#4198

jalfrezi

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Not having 98 of your and wil's posts here every day is a huge improvement.

04-08-2017 , 04:25 PM

#4199

einbert

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Quote:

Originally Posted by juan valdez

Here's a great explanation for you.

Neil Gorsuch does not belong on the Supreme Court
By Elizabeth Warren
https://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/...XhJ/story.html

Quote:

WHEN JUSTICE Antonin Scalia died last year, giant corporations and their right-wing buddies spent millions of dollars to keep the Supreme Court seat open so that Donald Trump could fill the vacancy. It was only the latest step in their campaign to tilt our courts in favor of big corporations and the wealthy. Now, the nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court is their reward. Anyone who believes in a neutral Supreme Court guided by equal justice for all should oppose this nomination.

Over the past three decades — as the rich have gotten richer and middle-class families have been left behind — the scales of justice have been weighted further and further in favor of the wealthy and the powerful. That tilt is not an accident. It’s the result of a deliberate strategy by powerful interests to turn our courts over to the highest bidder.

Its effects have been devastating. Recent court decisions have let giant corporations that cheated their consumers off the hook, unleashed a flood of secret money into the political process, and made it easier for businesses to abuse and discriminate against their employees.

At the core of this strategy is an all-out attack on fair-minded, mainstream judges. A prime example is the unprecedented blockade of Judge Merrick Garland’s nomination to the Supreme Court — a consensus nominee praised by Republicans and Democrats alike as a thoughtful, intelligent, and fair judge. None of that mattered for powerful right-wing groups that decided that Garland’s record did not reflect a sufficient willingness to bow down to the interests of the wealthy few. So they poured millions into a public smear campaign to stop his confirmation and leave the seat open.
During his campaign, Trump promised to nominate a Supreme Court justice selected exclusively from a list drawn up by far-right groups with ties to these same wealthy interests. As president, Trump kept that promise when he nominated Gorsuch last month to fill the vacancy.

Even before his elevation to the bench, Gorsuch’s right-wing, pro-big business views were clear. For example, he wrote an article arguing that liberals are too addicted to the court system and should keep important social issues like gay marriage, physician-assisted suicide, and school vouchers out of the courts. Notably absent was a similar critique of conservatives who pursue their interests in the court system. And Gorsuch has advocated for making it harder for investors and shareholders to bring lawsuits when companies commit securities fraud.

On the bench, his judicial decisions show a remarkable ability to shape and re-shape legal arguments in ways that benefit large corporations and disadvantage ordinary people seeking justice. In the Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores case, when he had to choose between the “rights” of corporations and the rights of women, Gorsuch sided with corporations. In consumer protection cases, when he had to choose between the “rights” of corporations and the rights of swindled consumers, Gorsuch sided with corporations. In discrimination cases, when he had to choose between the “rights” of corporations and the rights of employees to be free from harassment and abuse, Gorsuch sided with corporations.

Gorsuch has taken positions that are even more extreme than his extremely conservative colleagues. When it comes to the rules that protect public health and safety, Gorsuch is more radical than Scalia was. Gorsuch believes that courts should not be required to defer to expert agency interpretations of their governing laws. If he had his way, he’d make it even easier for corporations to challenge health and safety rules that prevent them from polluting our air and water, poisoning our food, undermining public safety, or cheating people out of their hard-earned savings.

Big companies and rich right-wing billionaires are spending top dollar to help a judge like Gorsuch get over the finish line. But that’s not how our court system is supposed to work. Our courts are supposed to be neutral arbiters, dispensing justice based on the facts and the law — not the party with the most money or political power.

Gorsuch is charming and intelligent. He has an impressive legal pedigree. But this is not a Miss Congeniality pageant or a contest for the nominee with the fanciest degrees. This is a vote for a justice who will sit on the highest court in our nation for the next generation and decide cases that will touch every human being in this country. Cases about a woman’s right to choose, voting rights, LGBTQ rights, secret spending in our political system, and freedom of speech and religion. The next Supreme Court justice will help determine whether our courts will serve the interests of all of us or bend to the will of the powerful moneyed few who helped place them on the court.

There is only one question that should guide us in that decision: whether the nominee will defend equal justice for every single one of us — rich or poor, black or white, female or male, gay or straight, popular or unpopular. Gorsuch’s record shows that he is not that nominee.

At a moment when the awesome power of the presidency is in the hands of someone who has shown contempt for our Constitution, our independent judiciary, our free press, and the principles that make our nation a beacon of democracy, this decision is more consequential than at any time in recent history. We cannot stand down when the president of the United States attempts to hand our highest court over to the highest bidder. And that is why I believe Judge Gorsuch’s nomination should be blocked.

04-08-2017 , 09:48 PM

#4200

KellyRae

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Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 407

Quote:

Originally Posted by juan valdez

the sadistic psychopath part sounds like the far left having another meltdown

Quote:

Originally Posted by einbert

Here's a great explanation for you.

Neil Gorsuch does not belong on the Supreme Court
By Elizabeth Warren
https://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/...XhJ/story.html

Confirmed.

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